Articles Posted inConstruction Accidents

When you think about construction-job related injuries, you most likely think of accidents involving equipment and heavy lifting, but many workers suffer Arizona construction noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) every year that eliminates their ability to work productively, or even at all. Although the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Arizona Department of Occupational Safety and Health mandate safety regulations and rules for noise levels on construction sites and at other job sites, noise incidents may still occur that cause hearing damage or loss. Injuries may occur when:

Workers are not provided with earplugs or headphones to block out noise.

Headphones or earplugs provided to workers are not adequate for noise levels.

Workers are not provided with adequate information detailing the risks involved with their participation at the work site or in specific work-related tasks.

Being injured or killed in a workplace accident can be very traumatic for the victim and/or their family. In Arizona, a 28-year-old crane operator died due to the heavy machinery rolling over near a Granite quarry in Congress (AZCentral 05/27/2011). The man was operating the 100-ton crane down a hillside when he lost control of the vehicle, causing it to flip over. It took 6 ½ hours just to remove the crane and retrieve the man’s body. Investigation is still going on about the incident.

As Arizona construction site accident attorneys, we see injuries caused by all sorts of accidents on the job. One type of injury we’ve seen in multiple cases involves electrocution or electric shock due to failures to follow proper safety precautions or shoddy workmanship. If you’ve been injured due to bad wiring on a construction site, you probably have a lot of questions, like what your rights are and whether or not you can hire a personal injury attorney to file a claim.

If you’re looking for answers, then you should at least consider consulting with a construction site accident attorney who has experience dealing with cases involving electrocution or electric shock. Depending on your unique circumstances, you may be limited to simply filing a workers’ compensation claim. Or you may have a valid personal injury claim, which may be very likely when the case involves wiring since a subcontractor is typically responsible for this task.

Using heavy equipment is part of the job on an Arizona construction site. Forklifts, bulldozers, cranes, and other pieces of heavy equipment, are commonplace. However, when not operated properly, they can lead to accidents and serious injury on the construction site. In many cases, these accidents are the result of improper use or recklessness, and as a result, preventable.

When Tucson machinery construction accidents do occur, many injured people don’t know where to turn. Should they hire a personal injury attorney with experience in construction site accidents, particularly those involving improper use of heavy equipment?

Construction sites are among the most dangerous places to work, and often workers suffer severe injuries on the job site. This often can be due to the improper use or maintenance of scaffolding, which can contribute directly to an injury or even death for someone on the job site.

Most constructions workers know that they have a right to file a workers’ compensation claim in Arizona. In Arizona cases where injuries have occurred on construction sites due to scaffolding issues, a claim can be made in addition to a workers’ compensation claim that can benefit the worker and their family. Many workers do not realize that they may also have the right to file a personal injury claim in addition to the workers’ compensation claim.

Most of us who don’t work on construction sites don’t realize just how dangerous they are. Many times, accidents cause serious injuries and sometimes even death. One contributor to construction site accidents in Phoenix is misuse of scaffolding.

When injuries and accidents involving scaffolding do happen, most workers know they can make a workers’ compensation claim. However, they don’t realize that they may also have a right to make a personal injury claim as well. In addition, making a personal injury claim in the State of Arizona does not forfeit an injured victim’s right to workers’ compensation. Any compensation awarded through a personal injury claim is in addition to workers’ compensation.

The lack of fall protection on a construction site in Tucson is a common cause of construction site injuries. In fact, it is considered the top cause of death and serious injuries on construction sites all over the country. Most people expect that certain things will happen if someone dies or is seriously injured due to an Arizona construction site fall. Many people would expect that OSHA, or at least the Arizona arm of OSHA, would do a detailed investigation. Another expectation is that either the injured worker or the surviving family members have the right to file a workers’ compensation claim.

Many Arizonans do not realize that in addition to workers’ comp benefits an injured worker or surviving family members may also have the right to file a personal injury or wrongful death claim. These types of personal injury claims will not take away from the worker’ comp claim, but will actually add to what can be claimed.

Arizona construction accidents often result in catastrophic injuries or injuries that have long-term health effects. Spinal cord injuries are extremely common in construction accidents. A spinal cord injury in Phoenix tends to affect almost every aspect of a person’s life. It often causes permanent disability or loss of movement (paralysis) and sensation below the site of the injury. The most common causes of spinal cord injuries in the United States are falls, motor vehicle accidents, acts of violence, sports and recreation injuries, alcohol use and injuries triggered by other diseases or health conditions.

A spinal cord injury can turn your entire life upside down, just like any other catastrophic injury. If you have sustained a spinal cord injury on-the-job in a construction site, especially due to someone else’s negligence, you may be able to recover compensation. Such restitution may cover expenses associated with medical treatment, surgery, medical exams, medication, lost wages, rehabilitation, physical therapy and even long-term care.

The construction industry has the highest worker injury and fatality rates of any industrial sector in the United States although construction workers only make up a small percentage of the American workforce. The most common causes of fatal construction accidents in Arizona and elsewhere in the nation include unsafe equipment, defective or malfunctioning equipment, lack of proper training, not following safety procedures and negligence on the part of the employer or other parties involved in the construction project. Electrocution, scaffold collapse, trench collapse, burns or falling objects are also common causes of construction site accidents.

So, who is actually responsible when a worker is injured or killed in a construction accident? Under federal law, the prime contractor in charge of the project is always responsible for job safety on the entire site and for compliance with regulations and safety standards imposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The main contractors are the ones who dictate work schedule, provide and help maintain equipment that is used at the work site. If the prime contractor delegates work to a sub-contractor, he or she is also responsible for job safety and following guidelines and safety standards.

Trench collapses in Arizona are a major source of construction accident deaths. Between 1990 and 2000, there were 771 fatal accidents involving trenching and excavations in the United States. On average, 70 construction workers die each year while working in a trench. Some workers operate without even realizing that they could be digging their own grave. A hard hat in most of these cases may not offer that much protection if a trench wall collapses due to proper safety measures are not being taken. The real tragedy of trenching accidents is that they can be prevented.

Recently, a 25-year-old construction worker who was installing a storm sewer line about 10 feet underground was pinned to the sewer main and killed after the walls of the trench collapsed. According to a report in The Monitor, the young man was instantly killed. The man was apparently working for a private contractor. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is conducting an investigation of the site in order to determine whether all safety protocols were followed.

Disclaimer: The legal information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice, nor the formation of a lawyer or attorney client relationship. Any results set forth
herein are based upon the facts of that particular case and do not represent a promise or guarantee. Please contact an Arizona personal injury attorney or Phoenix injury lawyer for a
consultation on your particular legal matter. This website is not intended to solicit clients for matters outside of the state of Arizona.